Special Interests
In general, my areas of interest include issues related to social inequalities among underserved groups. I attempt to make links between social inequalities and health, for example, by applying some of the major paradigms in race and ethnic studies.
My dissertation research was an ethnographic study focused on three distinct safety net institutions in a rural community that provided mental health services. These safety net institutions served a predominantly low-income American Indian population. I examined the specific characteristics of these safety net institutions to determine what factors fostered resiliency. During my postdoctoral training, I worked on the National Latino and Asian American Study and focused my publications on the mental health issues of Asian Americans.
Currently, I am collaborating with a colleague at the University of Washington to investigate psychological distress among Filipino Americans using an existing dataset. We intend to develop future projects, particularly a mixed-method study to assist us in further informing our results.
Additionally, I am also in the beginning stages of a qualitative research project that will assess the effectiveness of a diabetes prevention and management program. In collaboration with a local non-profit organization, the project will focus specifically on Southeast Asians diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.